Dumping-car.



No. 727,487. l PATENTED. MAY 5, 1903.

S. F. SWANSON.

DUMPING GAR.

APPLIGATION FILED 00T.21, 1902.

UNirED STATES Patented May 5, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

DUIVIPING-CAR'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettersl Patent No. 727,487, dated May 5,1903. Application filed October 2l, 1902. Serial No. 128,140. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, SWAN F. SwANsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, .haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Dumping-Cars; and I dodeclare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertainsto makev and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in du mping-cars; and the objectis to construct a car of this character the bottom of which is formed ofhinged sections adapted to be swung downwardly to discharge the contentsof the car.

A further objectis to construct such a car which will be simple inconstruction, durable in use, easily operated, and well adapted to theuse for which it is designed.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists in thecombination and arrangement of the various parts, as will be hereinaftermore fully described and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan View of the carconstructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a side view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a front end elevation of the car. Fig. 4 is alongitudial vertical sectional View, and Fig. 5 is verticalcross-sectional view showing one side of the car dumped.

In the drawings, l denotes the vertical sides of the car. 2 denotes theends, and 3 the bottom, which consists of the end platforms 4,'connected together by a centrally-disposed bolster 5, preferablyconsisting of a channel or U-shaped iron beam having a dat plate boltedto the upper side of the same, on which is supported a triangular-shapedwooden strip o', covered by an inverted-V-shaped metal plate 7, forminga central ridge the length of the car.

8 denotes beams bolted to the bolster 5 and projecting laterally fromeach side thereof and connecting the same with the sides of thecar-body. These beams are also preferably formed of channel or U-shapediron. In the spaces formed by the longitudinal bolster and thelaterally-disposed beams are hung doorsections 9, hinged along theirinner sides to the bolster 5 in any suitable manner, but preferably bybolting to the side of the bolster a continuous hinge-strip 10 oftheconfiguration shown in the drawings and forming a bearing for andadapted to receive the angularly-formed edge of the door-sections 9.

The outer or free edges of the door-sections are adapted to be supportedby a series of catches l2, pivoted to the lower ends ofVertically-disposed angle-iron bars or braces 13, bolted at properintervals to the outer faces ofthe sides of the car.

14 denotes longitudinally-disposed channeliron bars bolted to the loweredges of the sides of lthe car, which serve as abutments or stops forthe door-sections when closed, also serving as longitudinal brace-barsfor the said sides.

15 denotes a strip bolted to the free edges of the door-sections andhaving an offset edge, which is adapted when the said sections areclosed to lie beneath the lower edge of the sides of the car and incontact therewith and to be engaged by the hooked ends of the catches12, whereby the door-sections are supported in closed position.

16 denotes depending arms or brackets fixed to the lower side of eachdoor-section and securely braced thereto by brace-bars 17. To the lowerend of the bracket-arms 16 isconnected one end of chains 18, theopposite ends of which are connected to longitudinally-disposedwinding-shafts 19,'journaled in bearing-brackets depending from thelower sides of the end platforms and located one beneath each of thelongitudinal series of door-sections and at a point about centrallythereof.

2O denotes worm-gears fixed on the ends of the shafts 19, said gearsbeing in mesh with similar gears 2l, fixed on the lower end ofVertically-disposed shafts 22, journaled in the platforms 4 and carryingat their upper ends beveled gear-pinions 23, which in turn are in meshwith bevel gear-wheels 24, mounted on short horizontal shafts 25,journaled in bearings formed on the ends of the car.

26 denotes crank-handles on the outer ends of the shafts 25, whereby thesame may be rotated for a purpose hereinafter to appear.

In order that the catches 12 may be simul- IOO taneously released andthe door-sections allowed to drop on either side of the car, I employthe following means for operating the same. Each catch 12 has fixed tothe outer side thereof a plate or stra-p 12', connected thereto in suchmanner as to form an elongated space or slot 26.

27 denotes rock-shafts journaled in bearings fixed to the sides of thecar near the lower edges of the same. AThe ends of said shafts are bentat an angle thereto to form cranks 28. To these cranks are connected oneend of links 29, the opposite ends of which are connected to levers 30,pivoted at their lower ends to t-he car-platforms 4.

Cranks 31 are formed along the length of i the rock-shaft 27, adjacentto the catches 12,

said cranks being preferably formed by bending said shaft to formangnlarly-shaped loops which are adapted to pass through the elongatedslots or spaces 26 formed on the catches by the plates or strap 12' andwhich when the shaft 27 is rocked will engage said catches and operatethe same.

The hinge-strip 10 may have formed therein a number of openings 10',whereby water or dirt collected in the groove or channel formed by saidplate may be allowed to fall out.

In operation when it is desired to dump one or both sides of the car thelevers 30 are operated to rock the shafts 27, which causes the cranks 31formed thereon to move the catches 12 from engagement with thedoorsections, thus allowing the said sections to swing down or drop anddischarge the contents of the car. When it is desired to again closesaid door-sections, the shafts 19 are rotated by means of thecrank-handle 26 and the interposed gearing. The rotation of the shafts19 causes the chains 18 to be wound up thereon, thus drawing on thebracket-arms 16 and raising the door-sections to their normal or closedposition, where upon a reverse movement of the rock-shaft 27 the catcheswill be forced into engagement therewith and hold the same in place.

From the foregoing description it will b'e seen that I have devised adumping-car which is easily operated to discharge its contents andreadily closed again for further use and that comparatively simplemechanism of few parts is employed t0 accomplish the operation.Consequently the same is not liable to get out of order and maybeinexpensively manufactured.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction lnay be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dumping-car, the combination with the car-body, of a bottomformed of a longitudinally-disposed bolster, laterally-disposed beamsand parallel series of downwardlyswin ging door-sections hinged to saidbolster, catches pivoted to the lower ends of vertically-disposedbrace-bars bolted to the sides of said car-body and adapted to engagethe reinforced outer edges of said door-sections,

Alongitudinally-disposed rocking crank-shafts journaled in bearingsfixed to said car sides and adapted to be operated to move said catchesinto and out of engagement with said door-sections, pivotedflevers foroperating said shafts, an abutment strip or stop formed on the lowerinner edge of said car sides and adapted to be engaged by saiddoor-sections and means for raising or closing said doorsections,substantially as described.

2. In a dumping-car, the combination with the car-body, of a bottomformed of a longitudinally-disposed bolster, laterally-disposed beamsconnecting the sides of said car-body with said bolster, and parallelseries of downwardly-swinging door-sections hinged to said bolster,catches pivoted to the sides of said car-body and adapted to engage theouter edges of said door-sections to hold the same in closed position,longitudinally disposed crank-shafts adapted to engage said catches tomove the same into and out of engagement with said door-sections, leverspivoted to the end platforms of said car and adapted to rock saidcrank-shafts, and means for raising or closing said door-sections, saidmeans comprsing depending bracket-arms fixed to the lower side of saiddoor-sections and suitably braced thereto,longitudinally-disposedwinding-shafts located beneath said door-sections and adjacent to thelower ends of said bracketarms, chains having one end connected to thelower ends of said bracket-arms and their opposite ends connected tosaid Windingshafts, and gearing located at each end of said shaftswhereby the same are rotated to wind up said chains, snbstan tially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

SWAN F. SWANSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. GRovEs, H. S. BRANscoMB.

ICO

